Archives: AODA

Gone are the days of posting job ads in the newspaper. Like most things these days job recruitment takes place primarily online. It is important for employers to know how to comply with the law in the online environment – human rights, accessibility and in some cases privacy laws will apply. In general, the laws … Continue Reading

As of January 1, 2017, several new requirements have taken effect under the disability law regime in Ontario. The Integrated Accessibility Standards (IAS) made under the Accessibility of Ontarians with a Disability Act (AODA) sets out a comprehensive framework for business in Ontario to ensure the accessibility for employees and customers. Since 2012, employers have … Continue Reading

On January 1, 2014, private sector employers with 50 or more employees in Ontario face the next round of compliance requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with a Disability Act, 2005 (“AODA”). Most organizations have already complied with the AODA Customer Service Regulation. The AODA Integrated Accessibility Regulation (“IAR”) sets out the followings requirements to … Continue Reading

The Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with a Disability set out the rights and obligations regarding employees, but what about volunteers? A reader of this blog (thanks Angie!) has asked about the application of these laws when recruiting volunteers. Human rights codes across Canada work largely the same on this issue, but since … Continue Reading

I have questioned the teeth of the Accessibility of Ontarians with a Disability Act (“AODA”) in my past blog post, Where’s the Teeth?. While the fines for non-compliance are huge (up to $100,000 per day – see section 83 of AODA Reg 191/11), the regime relies on the Ministry of Community and Social Services (the … Continue Reading

The Ontario provincial government just released proposed regulations for the accessibility of the built environment. The standard introduces various amendments to AODA’s Integrated Accessibility Standard (Reg 191/11), including the introduction of the new Part IV.1, entitled Design of Public Spaces Standards (Accessibility Standards for the Built Environment). The new Standard will only apply to new construction … Continue Reading

This is Part 3 of my three part series on the Accessibility for Ontarians with a Disability Act, 2005. In the first post, I discussed the Customer Service Standard and in the second post, I outlined the Integrated Accessibility Standards. Both standards are regulations under AODA and set out further detail on the requirements of businesses and workplaces to … Continue Reading

This is Part 2 of my three part series on the Accessibility for Ontarians with a Disability Act, 2005. In my first post, I discussed the Customer Service Standard, which was passed this summer and requires the private sector to comply by January 1, 2012. In this post, I outline the AODA Integrated Accessibility Standards, … Continue Reading

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act ("AODA") has been around since 2005, but the specific obligations for employers do not start to kick in until 2012. This is the first of a series of blog posts I will be writing to discuss the requirements of AODA for employers. AODA lays out the general framework for ensuring … Continue Reading

Last Friday, the Ontario government passed the Integrated Disability Regulation under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). The Regulation includes a number of requirements for employers to remove barriers and ensure accessibility for employees. The Regulation contains three standards for organizations to meet, including an Employment Standard at Part III. A good summary … Continue Reading

About Me

Lisa Stam is founder of Spring Law, a virtual law firm advising exclusively on workplace legal issues for employers and executives. MORE